Ready. Set. Read: The Mission of Davon Miller ’24

Davon Miller ’24, just a child when he published his first book, says it still “blows his mind” when he looks back on the digital historical record of his achievements over the past ten years.

Miller’s story – and stories! – began when he was a baby and was diagnosed with asthma.

“My parents would constantly rush me in and out of the hospital,” Miller says. “It got so bad where you could start to see my rib cage.”

Until Miller’s physicians were able to control his severe asthma attacks, they cautioned his family to limit his exposure to any environmental factors. For Miller, this meant that he spent a lot of his time indoors.

To keep the bright youngster entertained, his parents read to him all the time.

“That was just one of their favorite things to do,” Miller says, “I think that’s how I gravitated to reading and writing.”

Miller not only enjoyed listening to his parents read to him, but he also enjoyed watching television, and the wonder of the outside world.

“From that love of seeing other people’s stories, I started to write stories in elementary school that were very long, often over 100 pages,” Miller says.

Miller says that he doesn’t remember exactly when he wrote his first story, but he remembers how it made him feel. He would often share his illustrated storybooks with his friends, enjoying their smiles that would encourage him to keep creating.

With his asthma under good control, Miller was able to focus his passions on his writing. His parents may not have understood the depths of his creative need, he says, but since there was no harm to his “hobby,” they just let him “do what he do.”

“One day, we had a substitute teacher who told us she had written a book, so I began to realize that this was something that people could do,” Miller says.

The inquisitive elementary-school student began asking the substitute, Linda Mobley, about the world of book publishing.

“We’re still close,” Miller says. “She was so nice to me in the fourth grade, and she helped me find an editor, Vernard McKinney.”

After McKinney’s gentle suggestions for Miller’s inaugural book, Miller set out to find a publisher and connected with  a children’s author, who guided him on the process. And soon, Mr. Tickety-Toc Clock: Goodnight Mr. Clock was published.

A synopsis on the back cover of the book reads: “The day is ending and Mr. Tickety-Toc Clock is going to bed. When he accidentally sets his alarm clock at the wrong time he’ll do anything so he can get some sleep.”

“I understand the book business better than I did back then,” Miller says. “But even then, I had a sense of how incredible it was to have published a book at that age. I definitely felt a sense of honor, and an obligation to keep inspiring others.”

Once news broke in the Tampa-St. Pete area about Miller’s accomplishment, he had multiple print and video interviews with the area media. It was a learning experience not only for Miller, but also for his proud parents, who were also new to the publicity game.

The Tampa-St. Pete community began reaching out to Miller to read his book to groups of local schoolchildren, an exercise he said helped him overcome his shyness.

“When I read to children, they really give me so much happiness,” Miller says.

“At first, Miller’s family would call various organizations on his behalf to help further share his stories in the communities, however once he was further established various schools and organizations began inquiring for Miller to come and share his stories.”

The Tampa Bay Rays, a major league baseball team, invited Miller to their “Reading with the Rays” program that features its baseball players who read to children. As a local author, Miller became the first and so far only children’s author to read alongside the team and partake in the program.

Miller continued to feature Mr. Tickety-Toc Clock in other reading adventures that inspire children in a fun way to continue their reading efforts. There are currently five illustrated books in the series.

After attending St. Petersburg College for two years, he transferred to the University of Central Florida’s online creative writing program to complete his bachelor’s degree.

“My interest in creative writing has never really subsided,” Miller says. “I haven’t published any books lately, but I am still writing, and still trying to figure out my new voice.”

One of Miller’s favorite classes at UCF was screenwriting, where he wrote a silent film.

“It was challenging, but I had so much fun trying to figure out how characters convey emotion,” Miller says. “But by being silent, it allowed me to understand that there is not just one way to tell a story.”

“Knowing I had someone to talk to at UCF on a monthly basis was beneficial to me,” Miller says. He especially credits Shannon Harmon, his success coach, for helping him navigate the program.

“Miss Shannon deserves all the praise,” Miller says. “She even came to my graduation, which was an unexpected delight.”

He has also been exploring other sides of the book business, including marketing, he says.

“I have two Mr. Tickety-Toc Clock plush toys, and it is my special friend that attends book readings with me,” Miller says. “He is certainly an audience favorite, and he gets instant high-fives and hugs. At one reading, kids lined up at the door to get their high-five from Mr. Tickety-Toc Clock, and that was so special to me.”

His author’s voice has matured, he says, but his techniques have remained the same. He is still using crayons and colored pencils to illustrate his manuscripts.

“I started writing this way, and since I’ve always done it this way, I feel like it’s just my style now. But I also feel like doing it this way is just honoring myself when I write stories,” Miller says.

He also feels that by illustrating his books in this manner that it may inspire children to see that his drawings aren’t perfect. And there can be something about that technique that lets children know that it’s OK to not be perfect.

That is the whole crux of Miller’s mission.

“I want children to know that they’re never too young to have a big impact in this world,” Miller says. “Using your imagination always just helps to make our world better, and you’re never too young to start anything big.”